1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooling structure for cooling a CPU or the like and, more particularly, to such a CPU cooling structure, which uses a thermoelectric cooling panel to enhance the cooling effect.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 illustrates a CPU cooling structure constructed according to the prior art. According to this design, the CPU cooling structure comprises a heat sink 20xe2x80x2, the heat sink 20xe2x80x2 having a flat bottom contact wall 23xe2x80x2 adapted to absorb heat from the CPU to be cooled, a fan 10xe2x80x2 mounted on the top side of the heat sink 20xe2x80x2 and adapted to induce currents of air through gaps in the heat sink 20xe2x80x2, and a power cable 30xe2x80x2 electrically connected to the fan 10xe2x80x2 and adapted to obtain power supply from the host computer containing the CPU. The cooling efficiency of this design of CPU cooling structure is low. When the CPU continuously running for a long time, the heat sink 20xe2x80x2 and the fan 10xe2x80x2 cannot effectively lower the temperature of the CPU. When the ambient temperature is excessively high, the CPU will break down.
The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide a CPU cooling structure, which achieves a high cooling performance. It is another object of the present invention to provide a CPU cooling structure, which uses a thermoelectric cooling panel to enhance the cooling effect. IT is still another object of the present invention to provide a CPU cooling structure, which can be used in a computer, machinery, or any of a variety of electric and electronic apparatus that use a CPU for operation control. According to the present invention, the CPU cooling structure comprises a heat sink, a fan mounted on the top side of the heat sink, a thermoelectric cooling panel mounted in the bottom side of the heat sink in a flash manner, a metal contact plate bonded to the bottom side of the heat sink to seal the thermoelectric cooling panel and adapted to contact the CPU to be cooled, and a control circuit adapted to control the operation of the fan and the thermoelectric cooling panel.